Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To evaluate bone development promotion and preliminary safety of Zhuanggu Guanjie pill based on synchronous evaluation of toxicity and efficacy using zebrafish.
METHODS Zebrafish embryos at 3 day post fertilization (dpf) were exposed to prednisolone (PN) 25 μmol·L
-1, different concentration of Zhuanggu Guanjie pill and its solution with PN(12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 μg·mL
-1), and embryonic medium(0.5% DMSO) as a blank control, all groups were incubated at 28℃ until 8 dpf. The medium/solution was changed half every other day. Zebrafish skeleton at 8 dpf were stained with alizarin red, and the stained area of bone was quantitative analyzed, at the same time, the death number and organ toxicity of zebrafish were also observed.
RESULTS At 8 dpf, more than 80% of zebrafish which exposed in Zhuanggu Guanjie pill (healthy fish group) and its solution with PN (model fish group) at 100 μg·mL
-1 and above concentration were died without bone staining. Compared with PN group, cumulative optical density value (IOD) and skull mineralization area of Zhuanggu Guanjie pill healthy fish group(12.5, 25, 50 μg·mL
-1) increased significantly(
P<0.01 or < 0.05). However, the skull mineralization area or IOD of Zhuanggu Guanjie pill solution with PN(12.5, 25 and 50 μg·mL
-1) had tendency to prevent the bone loss induced by PN, while the effect on model fish were weaker than that of healthy fish. After dosed Zhuanggu Guanjie pill, mortality speed and mortality rate of PN-treated model zebrafish were higher than that of healthy fish, the mortality rate was correlation with both drug concentration and dosed time. The LC
50 values at 6 dpf and 8 dpf of PN-treated model zebrafish (63.92 and 63.92 μg·mL
-1) were lower than that of healthy fish(94.66 and 87.84 μg·mL
-1).
CONCLUSION The synchronous evaluation method of toxicity and efficacy using zebrafish is successfully used in evaluating bone development activity and preliminary safety of Zhuanggu Guanjie pill. And the effect and toxicity of Zhuanggu Guanjie pill on healthy fish and model fish are different.